To be honest I don't have recipes the way I would like. I always want to start a book or notebook make cute cards, but in reality I cook on the fly now. Anyone can, trust me. Start with a simple book (my started was a Rachael Ray book, hold on - I think it was this one) and once I figured out that I could do it, I just went banono with it!
Figuring out points and calories. This always comes up, at meetings and talking with friends. There are recipe builders online, but the way I do it is I write down all the information on everything I am tossing in. If you are counting calories this is actually easier, because you only need to know the calorie content of each ingredient. If you are counting points you need to write down all the needed numbers. Then at the end I compute and divide it get the track-able amount for each serving. This might not be SPOT on, but it is pretty close and as long as you keep portions correctly sized you are good to go!
Now let's talk meat, shall we? We shall! Despite the he-haw over quality and organic and all the things we would like to be able to afford, the truth is that we must live and (many of us) feed families on a budget. When I hit the grocery I can't just think of my life style I must think of my family. This DOES NOT MEAN that I hit the snack isle and the ice cream freezer stocking up on unhealthy foods - actually my family now eat quite healthy because as I have learned more I feel it my obligation that my children learn good choices, hoping to avoid them having to fight this fight when the grow older. What I mean is that above all other things I know I must have healthy meat and fresh fruits when I leave! I pick up a bag of apples, several bags of grapes and then either banonos or clementines depending on what looks good, and I get HoneySuckle White turkey. I usually pick up two packs of 97% extra lean and one pack of lean turkey cutlets. The ground turkey is AWESOME and versatile! Because it is so lean it doesn't shrink up when cooked, so in essence you get more in a pound of lean meat than in a pound of fatty meat. A severing as they state on the package is a fourth of the pack, in reality it is an eighth and comes in at 1.5 points or 70 calories. It taste great and works in any recipe.
P.S. I know this does not actually give recipes BUT it is a prelude to what is coming. In fact I am so inspired I think the fam will be realy happy as I am going to cook something I have not cooked in a while. ;) Stay tuned!
P.S. I know this does not actually give recipes BUT it is a prelude to what is coming. In fact I am so inspired I think the fam will be realy happy as I am going to cook something I have not cooked in a while. ;) Stay tuned!
I thought about buying a bunch of cookbooks, but don't actually use the two I have. Instead, almost all the recipes I use I print off the internet. I usually save them as word files, and then I can modify/adapt it as I want I want and reprint with my changes.
ReplyDeleteI have two binders - one for tried and true recipes I come back to over and over and one with recipes that I want to try one day. If it's a keeper, it goes into the favorites binder, and if it doesn't work, I can just throw it away. Binder dividers are great for dividing among salads, mains, sides, desserts, etc. just like cookbook chapters.
You are doing so well with the diet and exercise...and getting through it even when things just suck. I find it so inspiring and motivational. Thanks!
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